Since 1996, ‘Stichting Monumentenfonds Aruba’ (Monuments Fund Aruba) has primarily been involved in the funding of restoration and maintenance of protected monuments, and has been the financial institution in the field of heritage conservation. The fund owns 15 monuments, out of the 36 protected monuments in the island, but there are over 300 more monuments on the list to be protected. A well-known historical monument is the Bushiribana Goldmill.
Between 1814 to 1915 there were different companies looking for gold on Aruba. This ruin was built in 1872 at Bushiribana by the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company, with the help of masons from Curacao and Aruba. A very well-known Aruban mason of that time was Alexander Donati. A wooden crane was built to help tilt the big heavy stones. The building served as a gold smelter from 1872 to 1899. Here were millions of pounds of gold processed during the gold rush of the nineteenth century in Aruba. After the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company left, came the gold smelter in the hands of other gold mining companies. A total of 200-300 miners worked here. There were several buildings in this area during that time including an administration office and houses for the miners. The last company that used this gold smelter was the Aruba Gold Concession Ltd. It left Bushiribana in 1899.
For more information check out their Facebook page stichting monumenten fonds aruba or their website http://www.monumentenfondsaruba.com.
Source: Monumentsfunds Aruba and Mr. Dufi Kock
